Clemens Is No Match for Angels’ Curtis : Baseball: Center fielder has another big game to help team defeat Boston Red Sox, 6-4.

Angel center fielder Chad Curtis never has cared much for the glare of the spotlight, which is good, because it never has cared much for Curtis.

He didn’t get a college scholarship and wasn’t drafted until the 45th round. And his name wasn’t brought up whenever the topic was the top center fielders in the American League.

Well, guess who’s talking now?

Curtis, shrugging off a bitterly disappointing first half, suddenly is the talk of the town, leading the Angels to a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of 20,335 Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium.

Forget that they were facing Roger Clemens, who has punished the Angels like no other team.

Curtis treated him as if he were a hard-throwing batting practice pitcher, hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning, a run-scoring single in the seventh and drawing two walks.

Curtis, subtly reminded by Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann earlier in the day that the Autrys don’t care for facial hair--and must soon shave his goatee--has become the Red Sox’s worst enemy. He has reached base eight consecutive times, going six for six with four runs, a double, three homers, six runs batted in and two walks.

“I don’t try to explain it,” said Curtis, who’s batting a season-high .262 with 10 home runs, which ties his career best. “Maybe it’s the hair, I don’t know. I just want it continue. I know I can play a lot better than I did in the first half, and I hope to prove it.

“There’s a lot of time left, and by no means are we out of this thing.”

The Angels (41-54), who have beaten the Red Sox in four consecutive games for the first time since 1991, moved to within five games of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. Perhaps most important, they finally proved they could beat Clemens.

“Roger is one of the premier pitchers in the game,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said, “and any time you can beat him you’d done a pretty good job. You know it’s going to take a total team effort to defeat him.”

Clemens (8-5) has dominated the Angels throughout his career, defeating them more times (20) than any other active pitcher. He was 2-0 with a 0.60 earned-run average against the Angels this season, and was 4-1 with a 1.38 ERA against the Angels in his last six starts at Anaheim Stadium.

This night was different.

This night, for the first time in their four career matchups against one another, Angel starter Mark Langston was the dominant pitcher. Langston (6-6) yielded four hits and three earned runs in seven innings, defeating Clemens for the first time in his career.

The Angels produced seven hits and five runs (four earned) in 6 2/3 innings off Clemens. It was the most runs the Angels have scored off Clemens since May 26, 1989, but the victory was preserved in the eighth inning by rookie right fielder Jim Edmonds.

Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, the Red Sox came back with a leadoff homer by Andre Dawson off reliever Mark Leiter. Tom Brunansky struck out. But Wes Chamberlain--who had homered in the second inning to extend the Angels’ club-record streak of 12 games in which they have yielded a homer--followed with a double into the right-field corner.

When Red Sox Manager Butch Hobson summoned left-handed pinch-hitter Scott Cooper, Lachemann countered with left-hander Bob Patterson.

Patterson struck out Cooper for the second out, and with right-handed catcher Damon Berryhill coming to the plate, Lachemann left Patterson in. Much to Lachemann’s chagrin, Berryhill slapped a hard single to right field. Pinch-runner Lee Tinsley was waved around third, and Edmonds came up throwing.

It wasn’t even close. Edmonds’ throw to catcher Greg Myers was perfect, and Myers was waiting to tag Tinsley.

“I’ve had some problems swinging the bat,” Edmonds said, “but when everybody else is getting hits, I’ve got to do something on the defensive end.”

The Angels, ensuring that Joe Grahe’s job would be easier, picked up another run in the eighth on first baseman J.T. Snow’s run-scoring single. Grahe then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 13th save.

Chili Davis was the first to make his teammates believers that Clemens was mere mortal. He took a 3-and-1 fastball and sent it over the center-field fence for a two-run homer in the fourth, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead.

Yet, it was Curtis who made the loudest noise. He came into the game with a career .192 batting average off Clemens, and finished believing he can homer off anyone.

“Curtis is hot,” Hobson said. “We just keep throwing him balls to hit out of the ballpark.”